3G mobile carrier 3 Ireland has signed a deal with EMI and Sony BMG that will allow music lovers to download the latest tracks on to their mobiles and PC as part of a single transaction. Until now, music lovers who bought tracks on their mobiles were unable to access their music on other devices.
3 customers who buy music over the air will also be able get a copy of the track online and then play it on their laptop or PC, transfer it onto an MP3 player or burn it on to a CD.
Under the new service, when 3 users download a track on to their mobile they will receive a text message containing a web address and a code. Once the code’s been entered on to the website the audio track can be downloaded on to the PC to access the website.
The audio track file is delivered in Windows Media Player format (Version 9). Downloads cost €2 per song.
3’s deal with EMI will allow users to access tracks from artists such as The Thrills, Aslan, Kylie, Coldplay, Norah Jones and Gorillaz and the deal with Sony BMG will enable users to download tracks from artists such as Paddy Casey, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Usher, Charlotte Church and Oasis.
Róisín Murphy, head of new media for Sony BMG Ireland, commented: “We’re extremely excited about the prospect of dual downloads. We’re confident that this additional value will drive the sales of digital downloads via mobile phones. 3 is creating a comprehensive mobile music service and we are delighted to be linked with its innovative and exciting offering.”
By John Kennedy
